13 Celebrities Who've Felt the Pain of Losing Someone They Love to Suicide

Losing someone you love is such a tough reality to bear, especially if this person takes his or her own life. Suicide is a tragedy that often leaves those left behind filled with so many questions and emotions. It also happens to be a subject that doesn't often get the attention it deserves.

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States with an average of 117 people taking their lives every day. These harrowing numbers reiterate the importance of awareness and why we need more people speaking up about this often silent killer.

These celebrities have chosen to speak up about losing a loved one to suicide, how it still affects them, and why we need prevention more than ever. Their stories deserve to be heard and their family members deserve to be remembered.

If you or someone you know has expressed suicidal thoughts, please let them know they are not alone. Text START to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or visit the Suicide Prevention Resource Center at www.sprc.org.

Zelda Williams

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To the world, Robin Williams was an actor and comedic genius. But to 27-year-old actress Zelda Williams, he was simply Dad. It's been two years since Robin Williams took his own life (Williams hung himself in 2014), and yet, it feels like only yesterday that we lost him. Still coping with his suicide, Zelda told Entertainment Tonight that she has to remind herself to keep moving forward with life. "[I said to myself] 'Okay, well today I'm going to wake up and love what I do. And tomorrow I'm going to wake up and be happy and love what I do. And then the next day...' because sometimes it's all you can do," Williams said.

Anderson Cooper

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During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Anderson Cooper revealed that he constantly thinks about his brother Carter's suicide. "... There's not a day goes by that I don't think about it [his brother Carter's suicide] .... With suicide, we like to think that it's this clear thing, and it's not .... The family members are left for their entire lives wondering why. Sometimes there isn't any why." Carter Cooper jumped from their mother's NYC penthouse in 1988. He was only 23 when he died.

Mick Jagger

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In 2014, so many were shocked to hear the news that fashion designer L'Wren Scott hung herself inside her New York City apartment -- those shocked included Mick Jagger, Scott's then longtime love. Jagger expressed his condolences, along with the inability to process all that happened, in a personal statement on his website. "I am still struggling to understand how my lover and best friend could end her life in this tragic way. We spent many wonderful years together and had made a great life for ourselves," Jagger wrote on MickJagger.com.

Marie Osmond

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It's so hard to imagine the devastation a parent feels when a child takes his or her own life. Marie Osmond is still reeling over the death of her son Michael Blosil. The 18-year-old took his life in 2010. "I've been through some tough things in my life .... This is probably the hardest thing," Osmond once told Oprah during an interview.

Richard Belzer

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It's easy to remember actor Richard Belzer as Munch on Law & Order: SVU﻿, but did you know he lost more than one family member to suicide? Both Belzer's father and brother took their own lives -- with Richard's older brother, Leonard, jumping off his apartment building in 2014.

G.R.L.

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Back in 2014, members of G.R.L., a girl group founded by Pussycat Dolls creator Robin Antin, were saddened to learn their bandmate, Simone Battle, committed suicide in her home. Hoping to raise awareness about mental health (Battle reportedly struggled with depression), G.R.L. participated in various events -- including Give an Hour's Campaign to Change Direction -- to help others realize they're not alone. "... We want to spread that message that it's okay to talk about [mental illness], and help people, maybe even change the world," G.R.L. member Paula Van Oppen told ﻿People﻿.

Ridley Scott

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If you were a fan of films like Top Gun, Enemy of the State, and Man on Fire, there's a good chance you enjoyed these movies because of Tony Scott's direction. Younger brother of acclaimed director Ridley Scott (he directed films like Alien, Thelma & Louise, and Black Hawk Down), Tony Scott took his life in 2012 by jumping off a bridge. Ridley once told Variety that learning the news about his brother's suicide was the worst weekend of his life and caused an "inexplicable" pain that will always be with him.